Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
WHEN Pieter de Jongh steps out at Mandava Stadium this Saturday, it will not just be another match on the fixture list, it will be a return to a place where his coaching journey in Zimbabwe briefly glittered, then abruptly ended.
Now in charge of Highlanders, De Jongh returns to Zvishavane not to pick up where he left off, but to challenge the very club he once called home, in what promises to be a match thick with emotion and narrative.
It was in January 2020 that De Jongh first arrived at FC Platinum, fresh from leading Highlanders to the Chibuku Super Cup.
His debut for the platinum miners could not have been scripted better: a 2-0 win over Highlanders in the Castle Challenge Cup at Barbourfields Stadium.
Just weeks after that emphatic victory, the Covid-19 pandemic brought Zimbabwean football to a halt, and with it, De Jongh’s ambitions were put on ice.
What followed was a saga of technicalities and regulations: FC Platinum were forced to part ways with the Dutchman after Caf ruled that only coaches with a Caf A Licence could sit on the bench for Champions League matches. De Jongh, despite holding a Uefa A Licence from the Netherlands, did not meet the criteria. The club swiftly rehired Norman Mapeza, the man De Jongh now faces on Saturday.
“I am the head coach of Highlanders. Of course, I have coached FC Platinum. They are a great club, fantastic group and great people. I am still in contact with a few people. It is good to be back and see people physically. But I am the coach of Highlanders and I want to put it that way,” said De Jongh.
Highlanders travel to Zvishavane on the back of a positive run, a league win, a draw and a Chibuku Super Cup triumph that has brought positive energy in the Bosso dressing room.
“Of course, we want to win. FC Platinum are like Scottland, big budget, big money, big players, big coach. But we are in a good mood. We have registered one win in the league, a draw and a win in the Chibuku Super Cup. These results bring a positive atmosphere and strong team spirit,” De Jongh.
Fixtures
Castle Lager Premiership
TelOne v MWOS (Ascot), Chicken Inn v Kwekwe United (Luveve), Manica Diamonds v GreenFuel (Sakubva), Simba Bhora v Scottland (Wadzanayi), Herentals v Caps United (Rufaro), ZPC Kariba v Ngezi Platinum Stars (Nyamhunga), FC Platinum v Highlanders (Mandava), Yadah FC V Bikita Minerals (Heart Stadium)
